Opioids’ Impact on Indiana Minorities – A Conversation

Indiana Minority Health Coalition partnered with Side Effects Public Media to hold a town hall style discussion around the Opioid Epidemic and the impact on minorities on February 13, 2018. The discussion was conducted via livestream. Topics covered included pain management, criminal justice response, harm reduction and community perspectives.

When a New York State Senator said, “It’s not a ghetto drug. It’s happening to doctor’s kids,” he was referring to opioids. He was also describing two mindsets – one focused on criminality, the other on treating a disease. And many perceive racial and ethnic implications in these two ways of thinking about the opioid epidemic. The topic is explored in a 90-minute conversation hosted by WFYI’s Side Effects health reporting unit in partnership with the Indiana Minority Health Coalition.